Minutes of the Faculty Senate
Virtual Meeting in Zoom
August 19, 2021
Present: Senators Almotairi, Logan, Valenzuela, Pfannensteil, Petty, Oden, Coppersmith, S. Schroeder, T. Schroeder, Tucker, White, Fanning, Paulson, Wilson, Overholzer, Hudgens, Nelson
Ex-officio and guests: Trey Berry, David Lanoue, Donna Allen, Josh Kee, Jennifer Rowsam, Sheryl Edwards, Robin Sronce, Kayla Rasberry, Gerald Plumlee, Karen Landry,
Proxies: James McQuiston for Senator Schneiderwind.
Approval of Minutes
Minutes from April 21, 2021 were approved (motion – Overholzer, second – Logan) with minor correction to be made clarifying the establishment of the Senate officers for the 2021-2022 year.
Special Orders of the Day
Elections for the standing committees of the Senate
The following nominees were put forth by their respective colleges and nominated as a slate of committee members (motion – Oden, second – White). Motion carried unanimously.
| Committee | Rankin CoB | CoEHP | CoLPA | CoSE |
| Budget | Valenzuala | Oden | Schneiderwind | Tucker |
| Handbook | Logan | Petty | Overholzer | Fanning |
| Parking Appeals | Almotairi | Phannensteil | Paulson | Hudgens |
President Schroeder requests that each committee meet by email, virtual means, or otherwise to select a chair of each committee and to notify President Schroeder of the selection.
Comments from SAU President, Dr. Trey Berry
- SAU administration remains cautiously optimistic regarding Fall 2021 enrollment numbers. The feeling is that SAU will be down around 130 students although the budget was designed for a situation where SAU would be down up to 250 students. International student and graduate student enrollments are up. Housing is slightly down.
- COVID continues to be a problem. We are seeing 90+ percent vaccination rate for faculty and staff right now. 240 student athletes were tested as they return and only one positive case was found, which was encouraging. Next week, it is planned to fully test all unvaccinated athletes and to repeat during season every Tuesday. Numbers during week 1 are very low for quarantine and isolation both on and off campus.
Senator Tucker asked if the faculty and staff vaccination rate accounted for faculty and staff that have left and for new faculty and staff just starting at SAU. Dr. Berry indicated that he would check into that and confirm.
President Schroeder asked if there was any information about the student vaccination rate. Dr. Berry indicated that there would be better information after September 1.
- Availability of CARES funding is allowing for a very large rollout of new computers on campus with faculty and staff at the top of the priority list followed by computer labs. Included in this number are 32 Alienware computers for the Wilson Hall computer lab.
Comments from Provost Lanoue
- An MCIS enrollment boost has come in the form of 100-120 late registrants paying full out-of-state tuition and fees.
- Provost Lanoue presented the Senate with three possible policies for the movement of individual courses to synchronous online instruction based on the presence of multiple COVID quarantine and isolation students in those courses. The three policies presented are attached to the end of these minutes. These three policy options were based on an initial draft that was circulated among select faculty and staff on campus as well as the comments generated by that circulation.
Senator Tucker asked if, since notifications come from their office, it would be possible for the Office of Student Life to track the COVID isolations and quarantines for each course to take the burden off of the instructors to track each of their classes. Dr. Lanoue responded that that option would be too taxing on the Office of Student Life given the large number of classes that are being offered.
The main variation in the policy options is in the COVID thresholds that would be met to cause a course to move online.
Option 1: 25% of enrollment in isolation or quarantine
Option 2: 4 students in isolation or quarantine for courses with 10 or fewer enrolled
25% in isolation/quarantine for courses between 10-35 students
15% in isolation/quarantine for courses above 35 students
Option 3: 10% of enrolled students are confirmed positive (in isolation)
It was noted that last year relatively few quarantine cases converted into positive tests, leading to Option 3. Senator T. Schroeder indicated that he liked Option 3 being based on positive testing, but with a second tier of percentages to accommodate smaller class sizes, similar to Option 2.
Senator Logan desired to make the policy as effective as possible and questioned whether converting a single course to synchronous online instructor would really accomplish this goal if those same students would still be going to all their other classes face to face. Senator Logan asked if perhaps a student group policy might be better than evaluating things course by course.
Senator T. Schroeder asked if there had been any discussion among the administration about whether there was a student COVID level that would trigger a move of all courses online for a period of time. Dr. Lanoue indicated that they will be monitoring and adjusting all policies as they know more about the situations as they develop.
Senator Tucker added that doing something (referring to adoption one of these policies) is better than doing nothing and that it allows for us to protect our faculty as well as our students. Senator Tucker also noted that cloth masks are not as effective against the Delta Variant of COVID-19 as are KN-95 and N-95 mask options.
Provost Lanoue thanked the Senate for their input and discussion and indicated that these discussions would help to inform the administration during their deliberations to select the policy that will go into effect in the very near future. He anticipated having a working policy by the end of the day on August 20th.
Reports of Committees
Senator Schroeder as chair of the 2020-2021 Senate Handbook Committee informed the Senate that the 13th edition of the Handbook had finally cleared all channels and had been placed online (https://web.saumag.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-handbook/) and requests that the Faculty Handbook Committee as well as all members of the Senate investigate the new edition and to offer feedback to both President S. Schroeder and Mr. Roger Giles.
Old Business
The Policy on Faculty Qualifications was introduced by Dr. Lanoue at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year but was not acted on due to insufficient time left in the year to finalize the policy. HLC-NCA requires 18 graduate hours in the specific field in order to teach undergraduate courses. The policy lays out this practice and does include possible exceptions including significant career experience equivalent to the 18 graduate hours or for emergency hiring situations for a single semester. This policy needs to be in the Faculty Handbook prior to the next HLC-NCA visit.
Senator White asked for clarification of the 1/1/2017 date included in the policy. Provost Lanoue indicated that this date was essentially the point of enforcement for this policy. All faculty that had been teaching prior to 1/1/2017 would be grandfathered in to this policy, regardless of precise qualifications. J Rowsam added that this date corresponded to the date that HLC-NCA changed the policy on their books.
President Schroeder executively refers this policy to the Faculty Senate Handbook Committee.
Senator White reminded President Schroeder to renew the ad hoc Committee on Faculty Sanctions Policy in order to continue its work from the previous year.
Adjourn
Motion to Adjourn (Motion – White, second – Fanning). Motion carries unanimously.
Next meeting of the Faculty Senate is scheduled for Thursday, September 16th at 3:40 pm.
Zoom Policy, Option 1
Policy on Moving Temporarily to Synchronized Instruction via Zoom
Face-to-face classes will move to synchronized instruction via Zoom on the next class day following verification that at least one-quarter (25%) of class members have been quarantined and/or isolated. (In classes of 10 or fewer students, where students are routinely separated by six or more feet, the section will move to synchronized Zoom instruction only after at least four students have been quarantined and/or isolated.) Instructors should keep abreast of notifications from University Health Services and/or Student Life informing them when such quarantines or isolations take place. When an instructor believes that the number of current quarantine and isolation cases has reached the 25% (or four student) threshold, he or she should inform both the chair and dean of the situation. This information will then be verified by the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). If the instructor knows without a doubt that one or more of the students in question have not attended the class in person for at least two weeks prior to notification, then that student will not count against the 25% (or, in smaller classes, four student) threshold.
After verification by OAA that the threshold has been met, the instructor will inform students that the class will be conducted via Zoom for at least the next calendar week, and will provide students with the link needed to attend. Unless otherwise approved by the dean, the instructor will report to his or her office or classroom to conduct the class at the appointed time. Students will be required to attend in accordance with normal classroom policies. If the course is moved to synchronous online format, students in quarantine and asymptomatic students in isolation are expected to attend all class meetings via Zoom (though instructors should be careful not to inquire about any individual student’s health status).
The class will continue to meet on its regular schedule via Zoom until both of the following conditions are met:
- At least seven calendar days have passed since the initial verification that the 25% (or four student) threshold had been crossed, and
- The number of students in active quarantine and/or isolation no longer meets or exceeds 25% (or, in the case of small classes, four students).
Instructors are asked to exercise understanding and compassion if their class moves to synchronized instruction via Zoom. They should encourage students to find locations where secure Wi-Fi is available and to have back-up plans in case of technology issues. However, instructors are allowed to set policies determining whether or not students must be on camera and what disruptive behaviors may be prohibited. Instructors may call on students in the Zoom audience to make comments or answer questions just as they would if the students were actually in the classroom, though they should be understanding in cases where students are facing technological challenges.
When classes meet synchronously via Zoom, instructors are asked to record all lectures and classroom activities and to make this material available to students with closed captioning. This will allow students who have problems with their internet connections to keep up with their coursework. These recordings may be removed from student view at any time, so long as they have been available for at least 48 hours and provided that the instructor has informed students of this rule. Instructors should, where possible, make these lectures available on an individual basis, even after the 48-hour period has passed, to students who have been unable to attend the class due to illness or extended technology issues, particularly if the instructor requires a comprehensive final exam.
Because students may be moving back-to-back between in-person and synchronized Zoom classes, instructors who have moved to a synchronized Zoom format should exercise leniency toward students whose schedules cause them to be slightly late in signing on to their temporary Zoom-taught course.
Instructors in quarantine or in isolation (without symptoms) are encouraged to offer face-to-face classes via Zoom if the technology in their quarantine/isolation location allows for it. Quarantined or isolated instructors are not subject to the seven-day waiting period and may return to the classroom as soon as they are cleared to do so by UHS.
Zoom Policy, Option 2
Policy on Moving Temporarily to Synchronized Instruction via Zoom
Face-to-face classes will move to synchronized instruction via Zoom on the next class day following verification that a sufficient number of class members have been quarantined and/or isolated. This threshold will be based on the following formula:
- For classes of 10 or fewer students, at least four (4) students have been quarantined or isolated.
- For classes between 10 and 35 students: at least one quarter (25%) of class members have been quarantined and/or isolated.
- For classes above 35 students: at least fifteen percent (15%) of class members have been quarantined and/or isolated
Instructors should keep abreast of notifications from University Health Services and/or Student Life informing them when such quarantines or isolations take place. When an instructor believes that the number of current quarantine and isolation cases has reached the reached the threshold, he or she should inform both the chair and dean of the situation. This information will then be verified by the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). If the instructor knows without a doubt that one or more of the students in question have not attended the class in person for at least two weeks prior to notification, then that student will not count against the threshold number.
After verification by OAA that the threshold has been met, the instructor will inform students that the class will be conducted via Zoom for at least the next calendar week, and will provide students with the link needed to attend. Unless otherwise approved by the dean, the instructor will report to his or her office or classroom to conduct the class at the appointed time. Students will be required to attend in accordance with normal classroom policies. Students in quarantine and asymptomatic students in isolation are expected to attend all class meetings via Zoom (though instructors should be careful not to inquire about any individual student’s health status).
The class will continue to meet on its regular schedule via Zoom until both of the following conditions are met:
- At least seven calendar days have passed since the initial verification that the appropriate threshold had been crossed, and
- The number of students in active quarantine and/or isolation no longer meets or exceeds the threshold.
Instructors are asked to exercise understanding and compassion if their class moves to synchronized instruction via Zoom. They should encourage students to find locations where secure Wi-Fi is available and to have back-up plans in case of technology issues. However, instructors are allowed to set policies determining whether or not students must be on camera and what disruptive behaviors may be prohibited. Instructors may call on students in the Zoom audience to make comments or answer questions just as they would if the students were actually in the classroom, though they should be understanding in cases where students are facing technological challenges.
When classes meet synchronously via Zoom, instructors are asked to record all lectures and classroom activities and to make this material available to students with closed captioning. This will allow students who have problems with their internet connections to keep up with their coursework. These recordings may be removed from student view at any time, so long as they have been available for at least 48 hours and provided that the instructor has informed students of this rule. Instructors should, where possible, make these lectures available on an individual basis, even after the 48-hour period has passed, to students who have been unable to attend the class due to illness or extended technology issues, particularly if the instructor requires a comprehensive final exam.
Because students may be moving back-to-back between in-person and synchronized Zoom classes, instructors who have moved to a synchronized Zoom format should exercise leniency toward students whose schedules cause them to be slightly late in signing on to their temporary Zoom-taught course.
Instructors in quarantine or in isolation (without symptoms) are encouraged to offer face-to-face classes via Zoom if the technology in their quarantine/isolation location allows for it. Quarantined or isolated instructors are not subject to the seven-day waiting period and may return to the classroom as soon as they are cleared to do so by UHS.
Zoom Policy, Option 3
Policy on Moving Temporarily to Synchronized Instruction via Zoom
Face-to-face classes will move to synchronized instruction via Zoom on the next class day following verification that at least ten percent (10%) of class members have been isolated due to a positive COVID test. Instructors will keep abreast of notifications from University Health Services and/or Student Life informing them when such quarantines or isolations take place. When an instructor believes that the number of current isolation cases has reached the 10% threshold, he or she will inform both the chair and dean of the situation. This information will then be verified by the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). If the instructor knows without a doubt that one or more of the students in question have not attended the class in person for at least two weeks prior to notification, then that student will not count against the 10% threshold.
After verification by OAA that the threshold has been met, the instructor will inform students that the class will be conducted via Zoom for at least the next calendar week, and will provide students with the link needed to attend. Unless otherwise approved by the dean, the instructor will report to his or her office or classroom to conduct the class at the appointed time. Students will be required to attend in accordance with normal classroom policies. If the course is moved to synchronous online format, students in quarantine and asymptomatic students in isolation are expected to attend all class meetings via Zoom (though instructors should be careful not to inquire about any individual student’s health status).
The class will continue to meet on its regular schedule via Zoom until both of the following conditions are met:
- At least seven calendar days have passed since the initial verification that the 10% threshold had been crossed, and
- The number of students in active quarantine and/or isolation no longer meets or exceeds 10%.
Instructors are asked to exercise understanding and compassion if their class moves to synchronized instruction via Zoom. They should encourage students to find locations where secure Wi-Fi is available and to have back-up plans in case of technology issues. However, instructors are allowed to set policies determining whether or not students must be on camera and what disruptive behaviors may be prohibited. Instructors may call on students in the Zoom audience to make comments or answer questions just as they would if the students were actually in the classroom, though they should be understanding in cases where students are facing technological challenges.
When classes meet synchronously via Zoom, instructors are asked to record all lectures and classroom activities and to make this material available to students with closed captioning. This will allow students who have problems with their internet connections to keep up with their coursework. These recordings may be removed from student view at any time, so long as they have been available for at least 48 hours and provided that the instructor has informed students of this rule. Instructors should, where possible, make these lectures available on an individual basis, even after the 48-hour period has passed, to students who have been unable to attend the class due to illness or extended technology issues, particularly if the instructor requires a comprehensive final exam.
Because students may be moving back-to-back between in-person and synchronized Zoom classes, instructors who have moved to a synchronized Zoom format should exercise leniency toward students whose schedules cause them to be slightly late in signing on to their temporarily Zoom-taught course.
Instructors in quarantine or in isolation (without symptoms) are encouraged to offer face-to-face classes via Zoom if the technology in their quarantine/isolation location allows for it. Quarantined or isolated instructors are not subject to the seven-day waiting period and may return to the classroom as soon as they are cleared to do so by UHS.
